Matt Hamshaw on the future, turning around Rotherham United and what it all means to him

The 43-year-old, who grew up as a Millers supporter and has previously coached at AESSEAL New York Stadium, has been given the hot-seat until the end of the season following the weekend sacking of Steve Evans.

He is taking his first steps into management after being part of Paul Warne's backroom staff for nearly a decade.

“It's a huge privilege to be back at this great club, and it is a great club,” he said at his first press conference this afternoon. “The club is close to my heart. The majority of my career has been spent here.

“All of my family are Rotherham fans. I have relatives who buy tables in the corporate section and go to watch games.”

Hamshaw won three League One promotions alongside Warne at New York and then added a fourth to his CV at Derby County.

He was available after leaving the Rams in February and has given up a family holiday in Tenerife to get back to work.

“I jumped at the chance when it came up,” he said. “We'll take it through to the summer and then see what happens. I can die a happy man knowing that I've managed my hometown club.”

Goalkeeper coach Andy Warrington will be his number two and the pair's main task is to ensure that the 16th-placed Millers don't slip into the relegation reckoning following a dismal third-tier campaign that cost Evans his position.

“When you get a job, it's usually in difficult circumstances,” Hamshaw said. “Obviously, that's the case now. We're looking to get this club back on the front foot and back to where it should be, on a stable footing.”

Both he and chairman Tony Stewart agreed that taking the role until the end of the season was the best initial approach and he now has the opportunity to stake his claim for a permanent appointment.

He is seeking an immediate upturn when Rotherham head to Northampton Town tomorrow night.

“I'm ambitious, the club's ambitious,” he said. “We'll see how results go, we'll see how performances are.

“I can't guarantee results, but I can guarantee a work ethic and players knowing what it means to play for this club. Fans will know that the players are giving everything.

“I know that has been questioned in recent weeks and months. I still live in the area so I hear it and see it. I still listen to phone-ins and read articles now and then.

“I ‘get’ the frustration. But that's all behind us now. There's no point in me focusing on what has happened previously. It's all about these last eight games.”